State Capitol Demonstration Planned After Yanez-Castile Verdict
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) -- A number of organizations are planning to demonstrate at the Minnesota State Capitol once a verdict is read in the death of Philando Castile.
The jury was deliberating Tuesday after the prosecution and defense teams made closing statements in the trial of Officer Jeronimo Yanez.
Yanez shot Castile five times last July during a traffic stop in a St. Paul suburb, just seconds after Castile informed him he was carrying a gun.
Castile's girlfriend Diamond Reynolds' video of the gruesome aftermath of the shooting was shared widely on Facebook.
Yanez is charged with second-degree manslaughter, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and with two lesser counts of endangering Reynolds and her then-4-year-old daughter for firing his gun into the car near them.
Conviction on the manslaughter charge requires the jury to find Yanez guilty of "culpable negligence," which the judge described in jury instructions as gross negligence with an element of recklessness.
Three groups are hosting a Facebook event called "Day of Verdict: Justice4Philando Emergency Unity Response" -- Justice Occupation for Philando, Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar, and Communities United Against Police Brutality.
Organizers said that the plan would call for people to gather at the State Capitol at 7 p.m. the day the verdict is read.
As of noon Tuesday, about 500 people had responded to the event.
Meanwhile, supporters of Castile also gathered Tuesday at the St. Paul courthouse where the jury was deliberating.
Among them was KingDemetrius Pendleton, a 47-year-old Minneapolis man who was wearing a T-shirt with Castile's photo that says "Justice 4 Philando," and "Hands Up Don't Shoot," with the hashtag "#BlackLivesMatter."
He was also posting video commentaries on social media.
Pendleton named several other black men who have been killed by police in recent years. He said none of those officers has been held responsible.
He says he's optimistic that Yanez might be convicted in Castile's death. But Pendleton says it will be just a "mustard seed of justice" if he is.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
